Eartheart Dialog is a place where we discuss how our lives are evolving and reflecting the wisdom of nature, of which we are a part, as we reach to fulfill "our heart's desire". In this space we can share creative experiences, work and explore our common ground. This is also an invitation to discuss matters of spirituality and the environment, art and design, and a heartful planet.

The short film is both strange and magical. Imagine waiting 17 years underground for something to happen~~~oh, wait, we all do that in some fashion, don't we. In western culture many want everything, we've deemed we need/want, right away. And those who wait often feel under supported. Many things need longer gestation.......a lesson from cicadas? What duration are your recurring cycles? I recognize two and ten year cycles in my life........

Finding wonder in the nature of other species abounds. Now to find the wonder in my own waiting?

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Can you find the tripod in yourself (read below to find the reference to tripods?) Of what does yours consist? This wonderful article (appearing in ASLA's 'Dirt') about Michael Grab, a land artist in Boulder, CO, stirs the imagination and may help illuminate what you count on to balance yourself; it at least begs the question. Happy discovering!!!

What might you want to seed, sprout and sustain in 2013? With Imbolc on February 2nd (Ground Hog's Day) you can plant more firmly, having discovered your tripod and how it is you stay balanced.

Ciao and Happy 2013,

Elizabeth

A Balancing Act Like No Other

Michael Grab has been creating unbelievable works of land art around Boulder, Colorado. Inspired by Yoda’s maxim, “Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try,” Grab demonstrates that with a bit of patience, it’s possible to create a Jedi-like sense of balance in the unlikeliest arrangements of rocks. The artist writes that he uses rocks he finds out in the woods to create his “meditative nature” sculptures.

Grab argues that many civilizations have practiced the art of balancing rocks. But he’s not interested in making some broad statement about culture and nature. He mostly finds the work therapeutic.

He writes: “Over the past few years of practicing rock balance, simple curiosity has evolved into therapeutic ritual, ultimately nurturing meditative presence, mental well-being, and artistry of design. Alongside the art, setting rocks into balance has also become a way of showing appreciation, offering thanksgiving, and inducing meditation. Through manipulation of gravitational threads, the ancient stones become a poetic dance of form and energy, birth and death, perfection and imperfection.”

In the arrangement of rocks, he finds a reflection of ourselves. The pieces are “precariously sturdy, mysterious, and fragile.”

The arrangements themselves are a thing of wonder for him. “One of the most lovely experiences in practicing rock balance is the unspoken dialogue between the rocks, the surrounding environment and my own creative flow.” Indeed, some pieces may even compete with Brancusi’s African totem-inspired sculptures.

Getting the emotional and aesthetic experience, many landscape architects might ask, how the hell do you do that? Grab writes that the key is to find some sort of “tripod” for the rock to be placed on. “Every rock is covered in a variety of tiny to large indentations that can act as a tripod for the rock to stand upright, or in most orientations you can think of with other rocks. By paying close attention to the feeling of the rocks, you will start to feel even the smallest clicks as the notches of the rocks in contact are moving over one another. In the finer point balances, these clicks can be felt on a scale smaller than millimeters.” And while mastering the mechanics is important, Grab says that anyone practicing rock balancing must “get to know the rocks you are working with.”

Thursday, September 6, 2012

For those of you who asked me to write reflections from the road between Santa Fe, NM and Montpelier, VT, my apologies that this comes so belatedly. The 2,400 miles are finally being shaken off----as they followed closely upon packing and putting things in storage-----again. In many ways it still feels like a long time since anything felt normal and I admit to being a fish-out-of-water;....no pun intended, but things stay quite damp here. Fruit is more likely to mold---than petrify---if left too long on the counter.......and towels never dry.

The reference to onions in the title of this blog is somewhat humorous. Heading east from Albuquerque on Rte. 40, a semi-truck with a huge, tarped load of bagged onions became a frequent traveling companion for miles and miles across the Texas panhandle and all of Oklahoma. On the highway entry ramp, beginning the second day on the road (from Tulsa, OK), a large bag of onions rested where it had fallen, I assumed from my travel companion. When I caught up with the onion semi, somewhere in Missouri, I wasn't surprised. Somewhere between St Louis and Indiana, the truck vanished. Where did the onions end up? Felt like warning someone, somewhere that the onions are coming, the onions are coming!!!

While all those onions set me to thinking about grilled onions--I thought of that a lot, it was also noted that no one needs to cart onions over all those miles. Don't know where they started out or where they were headed, but onions grow most everywhere, so all that transport is pretty ridiculous. In the US, there is a lot of traipsing produce from coast to coast. The day will arrive when that will be seen as a waste of fuel. Food security will need to be closer to home.

A couple years ago, I marveled as then one year old Isla crawled between rows of green beans and cherry tomatoes in the front yard---that is where the sun is---picking and eating fresh produce. At her young age---still with no vocabulary and no word for food---she knew where food comes from. The front yard, don't ya' know!!

Carrying this food theme further, I'd like you to know that food production is going on at the Vermont State Capitol grounds. Cara tells me it is free for the taking---should you need that---and that there is a group in Vermont planting similar plots on corporate grounds, too. What is not harvested by those in need is harvested for them and taken to food banks. Vermonters walk their talk!

And when I asked Cara where I might find Whole Foods (I know that isn't politically correct, but I am accustomed to shopping there), I expected her to say in Burlington---about 50 minutes away. Her answer was, "there are none in Vermont." I googled that and did find it is true. Haven't seen a Starbucks yet, either! And Montpelier has no fast food establishments (which I do not frequent)---as far as I can see. Again, Vermonters walk their talk. No wonder it is considered the healthiest state.

Carrying further on the theme of food. I have actually witnessed Cara biking off to the Food Co-op. Arriving by bike, she is given an extra 5% off her grocery bill. Cara's family lives up hill from the co-op---way up hill; just so you can get the full picture.

I will soon share more from the 2,400 mile road trip and my first couple weeks here.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Something subtle, but noticeable, about forces of nature is the giving, giving, giving nature of these forces. Water, light, heat, air move out from concentrations to dissolution...nothing left un-given. Water your tomato plant and the water doesn't stay there around this one plant, but moves out through the garden and continues to spread until it reaches the farthest it can. Heat from the fireplace or campfire does the same. The light from that campfire, the same. Ever notice how the dark of night rings the campfire's reach......light goes as far as it can, gives all it has and meets the edge of night.

Science calls this running out of juice, the second law of thermodymamics, the law of entropy....spent, finished, kaput. Sounds kind of negative. Is it possible that we are missing the benevolent nature of this spreading out as far as possible. Serving completely, giving freely. What a model for humanity and community this is.

Somehow we see in society an awful lot of sucking all resources from the farthest reaches---all the little guys---to concentrate where the few get most. What is that about? Certainly not benevolence or spreading out the resources to the full community. And looking at what happened in Joplin, Missouri a year ago.......the sucking of a natural force in the other direction, from dissolution to concentration, into a whirlwind of air that destroyed a town and took 160 lives, the lesson of what happens when things go in the wrong direction is clear.

Looking at the forces of nature, you can't help but learn that benevolence is the way to go.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Along the way in Bear Canyon today, a question appeared, "What is 'greening-up' in you right now?" Spring has come and gone and returned a few times this year. Now it seems in earnest. The wildly divergent 'greens' I see these past few days, must have stimulated the question. It is a good one to ask.

What shows up along side this question is, "What are you nourishing right now?" That brought me up short. Am I nourishing what is healthy and progressive for me? Is what is greening up healthy new growth or is it a growth which seeks to keep things as they have always been? It all seems to boil down to what is it that increases my engagement in life; even if it is new and different from years past. Questioning the way things have always been seems appropriate. This is a gift of spring.

So what_is_greening up in me right now? It seems to require deeper honesty, more playfulness and a willingness to let go of making big plans. God shows up, after all, in the unexpected. So, how do I find a balance of taking action toward desires and then letting it all flow.......releasing all expectations? Daily experiences of emotional contentment---several a day actually---help me. Noticing what shows up and how I feel are big clues. Clues to what is greening up and what I am nourishing.

If this is a good question for you, too....consider sharing here a bit of what you see and feel. We can be good for each other by gardening each others hearts. So what is greening up for you? Leave a comment if you like. HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Winter meant much time out of Santa Fe for me; announcing this garden winner went by the sidelines. In December 2011, the New Mexico Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects honored the "Baker" garden with a merit award.

Somewhat Zen inspired, this small yard was transformed from a rough patch of weeds and dirt to this clean, minimalist, multi-use space which includes an in-ground spa with rolled stainless steel rail, custom designed furnishings (granite and steel table, six ipe wood and iron stools, two ipe benches and Cherry wood and stainless steel cook unit), plantings and river rock pool with Aspen trees. The spa decking is stamped and artfully stained concrete. A fiber optic cord illuminates the spa edge.

The space benefits from an old coyote fence with neighboring, historic, corrugated roof peering over. This garden measures no more than 17' x 20' and yet accomplishes much for the homeowner. It has become a place to work, meditate, relax, read, cook, entertain, star-gaze and more. Very private and quiet, though steps away from the epicenter of the Railyard.

The garden won a Western Garden Award in 2005 from Sunset Magazine---where a Juror described it as a "brilliant manipulation of a very small space."